MODESTO - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today hosted business leaders for a roundtable conversation to discuss the impacts of President Trump's illegal and chaotic tariffs across industries in California. The roundtable in Modesto comes after California's second lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful use of tariffs and included leaders from the agriculture and healthcare sectors as well as small businesses and business chambers. Today's roundtable follows similar discussions in San Francisco and Los Angeles. President Trump's unlawful tariffs are wreaking havoc on the U.S. financial system and causing uniquely immense harm to California's economy, which is a major driver of our national economy.

"The Trump Administration's illegal tariffs have sent shockwaves through financial markets, businesses, and the consumers that depend on them - including in our great state in California, home to the fourth largest economy in the world," said Attorney General Bonta. "Today, I heard from Central Valley business leaders who are concerned about the impact of President Trump's tariffs on their industries and businesses - I thank these leaders for taking the time to come together and share their experiences. The Central Valley has fed California and the U.S. for decades and is critical to our economy, to the livelihood of hundreds of thousands, and to California's identity. My office will continue to fight to end the Trump Administration's illegal tariffs and restore certainty and vibrancy to our economy."

BACKGROUND

The President's regime of unlawful tariffs has made the affordability crisis worse for millions of Americans and has thrown financial markets, businesses, and consumers in every corner of the globe into chaos - including in California, which is the fourth-largest economy in the world and the country's largest importer and second-largest exporter among the 50 states. A recent Yale report found that the tariffs led to the average family losing $1,751 last year.

In April 2025, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's unlawful use of power to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 without the consent of Congress - tariffs that were last month declared illegal and struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Yesterday, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in calling on Congress to take legislative action regarding President Trump's illegal tariffs under IEEPA to ensure businesses and consumers receive timely, automatic refunds.

Earlier this month, California joined a coalition of 24 states in filing a lawsuit challenging President Trump's new attempt to impose tariffs using Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, an archaic, never-before-used law. And last week, Attorney General Bonta filed a motion to block implementation of these tariffs, asking for summary judgment or, in the alternative, a preliminary injunction.